The MiWay Wally Hayward Marathon on 1 May is a popular ‘ last chance ’ Comrades Qualifier in Gauteng
Images : Stuart Mann , Nick Muzik & courtesy Comrades Marathon Association the route . Therefore , to ensure the sustainability of the race , the organising club , Collegians , introduced the 4 hours 30 minutes qualifying marathon and a cap of 1500 runners for the 1975 race . The cap did not work , as it saw several top runners excluded , including Lettie van Zyl , who ran unofficially and was the first woman across the line , but was not given the win . The entry cap was discarded the following year , but the 4:30 qualifier ( for the then 11-hour cut-off ) was kept for future years .
Importantly , the qualifier originally had nothing to do with any medical concerns , but was purely a means to open the roads in a reasonable time after people with a proven chance of finishing the race within 11 hours had passed . And qualification only applied to novices , as anyone who had previously finished Comrades was considered to know what was required . Meanwhile , the introduction of the Comrades qualifier prompted an increase in marathons and shorter ultras ( 50-56km ) on the calendar , but initially they remained spread throughout the year , with the JSE 50km in August remaining a major attraction for around 5000 to 6000 runners by the 1980s .
Commercial Objectives
In the 1980s , most races not only served the sport , but also generated a profit for the presenting clubs , which usually then ploughed these funds back into their membership , offering club shirts and tracksuits , or subsidised travel to major events . Thus , the reason for hosting races had undergone a commercial evolution , and the sport began a transition from amateur towards professional .
The return of South Africa to international competition in 1992 also saw meaningful increases in the previous R500 prize money limit in club events . Meanwhile , athletics unification evolved , with requests made to and agreed by the IAAF to allow branding to be used at local events , to assist the sport to gain funds . This was the beginning of branded club vests , which were unique to South Africa , and resulted in corporate clubs being established , but this was only for local events , as remains the case today . For example , Comrades is a local event , without any formal World or International ranking or recognition , which is why it can accept the sponsorship of a gambling company , even though this is not allowed by World Athletics rules .
Easing into the new millennium , the ‘ why ’ of hosting events evolved further towards commercialism , with many clubs hosting events to capitalise on the desire – some
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon aspires to become a true big city World Majors marathon would say obsession – to run long distance races in the build-up to Comrades . The 2003 extension of the Comrades cut-off to 12 hours and the introduction of a fivehour qualification standard , and the 2005 introduction of the back-to-back medal , created a marathon boom throughout the country , as still more athletes wanted to run the Comrades , and needed a qualifying marathon time .
Crammed with Marathons
The 2010 World Cup year not only brought the introduction of strict Health and Safety measures in all sporting events throughout the country , and with that considerable increase in costs , but also the decision by the Comrades Marathon Association ( CMA ) to restrict the qualifying period to between October and May . Ironically , even the CMA chairperson at that time was unable to provide a practical justification for the move when asked at the race ’ s media launch , but that didn ’ t stop the Two Oceans Marathon following suit , and this had another marked effect on the race calendar . ( This also coincided with the 85th Comrades , which assisted in boosting numbers , as did the 90th in 2015 , both of which were accompanied by with special celebrations and marketing hype .)
Many clubs now adjusted the dates of their marathons to shoehorn their races into the required period , and the result of all this is what I feel is an oversupply of marathons crammed into a limited period on the SA race calendar , which persists today . However , things have changed yet again , resulting in a dwindling market of committed marathon runners . Within our ever-growing running community of 110,000 to 120,000 licensed athletes , there are now only some 35 % who require an Oceans or Comrades qualifier , yet the calendar is still largely built around those 35 %.
Pre-COVID , the Comrades attracted 27,000 entries for the 2020 edition , which was cancelled , and the sold-out 2020 Two Oceans Marathon , with some 13,000 entries , was also cancelled . The loss of entry fees by the runners in both races damaged their reputation and creditability within the running community , and subsequent increases in entry fees to compensate for other governance issues have further contributed to a substantial drop in entries . That saw both events re-open their 2022 and 2023 entries several times after attracting significantly reduced numbers by the time of the original entry deadlines .
Also , the number of Green Number ( Comrades ) and Blue Number ( Two Oceans ) runners , awarded for their ten-year commitment to the races , may well be at a peak now , but that is a result of desires and ambitions laid out in the 1980 ’ s , 90 ’ s and early years of the 2000s . Nowadays , especially amongst the younger Millennial and Gen Z runners , there is a substantial drop-off in those who will go much past three races before looking for alternative challenges , or shifting from longer distances to shorter , more social and recreational distances and events .
Times and Reasons Change
For all the reasons above , many marathon and longer club races are now battling financial viability . Low entry numbers reduce the attraction for sponsors , reduce prize money , increase entry fees , and result in a vicious downward spiral . By comparison , the participation is increasing in mass social events such as the RUN YOUR CITY , Spar Women ’ s Challenge and Totalsports Women ’ s races , as well as a few well-branded 21km events , which offer greater prize money , top-end performances , more media coverage , greater sponsor interaction , increased provincial and metro economic impact , greater vibe and participant reward , and an upward spiral .
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